1. Field
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a lighting system, a backlight unit capable of switching between a 2D image display mode and a 3D image display mode and an image display apparatus including the backlight unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the popularity of three-dimensional (3D) movies, many different technologies related for 3D image display apparatuses have been researched. 3D image display apparatuses display 3D images based on binocular parallax. Currently commercialized binocular-parallax 3D image display apparatuses are configured to display 3D images by providing left-eye and right-eye images having different viewpoints to the left and right eyes of viewers. Such 3D image display apparatuses may be classified as glasses-type 3D image display apparatuses requiring special glasses or as non-glasses-type 3D image display apparatuses which do not require special glasses.
Examples of glasses-type 3D image display apparatuses include red-green glasses type 3D image display apparatuses, commonly used in movie theaters, and polarizing glasses or liquid crystal shutter glasses type 3D image display apparatuses, commonly used in conjunction with televisions (TVs). Non-glasses-type 3D image display apparatuses may be classified, according to the structures thereof, as barrier-type 3D image display apparatuses, lenticular-type 3D image display apparatuses, etc. In addition, non-glasses-type 3D image display apparatuses may be classified, according to image forming methods, as multi-view rendering 3D image display apparatuses, volumetric 3D image display apparatuses configured to contain all 3D space information and display the 3D information in a 3D space using voxels, integral imaging 3D image display apparatuses configured to capture images at multiple angles using lenses shaped like compound eyes of insects (fly's eyes) and inversely display the images, holographic 3D image display apparatuses, etc.